Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Happy hump Day. It is eight oh six here at
Kentucky and as Morning News with Coffee and Company News
Radio eight forty, whas been a busy, busy morning. In fact,
I'm sure this has been the busiest morning on the
roadways in quite some time. I had it wrong yesterday.
I thought everybody here in the region was back to school,
But Oldham County went back today. So if you noticed
a lot more in fact, the last week or so,
(00:20):
if you've noticed a lot more cars on the roadways,
clearly that is why. All right, So I mean the
story that has continued to become I think more of
a talking point among you know, news talk like this,
and of course just people in the state that you
know are bothered by the driver's license issues, meaning when
(00:43):
it comes to just the pain in the rear end
it has been for people to go get an ID
because of changes made in recent years as far as
just what that process looks like, that alone has been
a real issue for people. Why do I have to
drive two hours to a different location in the state.
Why can't I go somewhere that's closer to me. Why
the next appointment not available until seven weeks from now?
(01:03):
Like it's been a real issue, and I would hope
that they've been working on ways to fix it. And
it wasn't good that Monday they were completely shut down
altogether because of issues on their end. So I guess
it's a work in progress, to say, to say the least.
So you have all that, it's been a thing, if
(01:23):
you will, for a while, and then now we have
this allegation that's been made by a former employee that
is a really really bad look for the state. I mean,
there's really just there's just no way around it, you know,
when it comes to the Let me just make sure
I've got the details correctly here, because you do have
you do have a lawsuit. Actually, yeah, this is a
(01:45):
whistleblower situation, and we talked about it throughout the morning here.
I'm just trying to make sure I've got the right
like the right name and whatnot here. But anyways, WDRB
they did an investigation on their end after an employee.
Her name is Melissa Mormon. She worked as a KYTC clerk,
and she's made the claim that multiple state offices issued
fraudulent licenses to undocumented workers four or five times a
(02:05):
day for at least two years. So she also claims
that she reported this activity to her supervisor but was
fired soon after, and she alleges her own idea was
misused in this entire scheme. So DRB did obtain documents
that showed KYTC sent over fifteen hundred letters warning recipients
that their licenses were issued in error and they would
(02:26):
be canceled. And currently KYTC has not released any of
the records. There's over two thousand related records here that
they're not releasing, citing active state and federal criminal probes.
So I guess the good sign is that they're at
least trying to get every bit of information, all the
details and hold everybody involved accountable, which they should. But
(02:47):
I mean, just the optics of this not great to
say the least. I mean, we've got people who have
already been just feeling as if it's become way too
big of a hassle. It's even get a new driver's
license or get a real ID, because of course that
whole shift and look, some of this is on two
(03:08):
things can be true, right, Like some people just procrastinate
and wait too long, and that you know they should
be better at that, But that also doesn't mean that
the way the system has currently been set up as
far as appointments and whatnot, and just not making it
as easier for citizens of this state. Like that's an
issue too. Both things can be true there, but just
like if you've been inconvenienced in a big way, and
I'm sure there are many in this state that have,
(03:30):
because a lot of news outlets have done stories with
these individuals who've said, Hey, I try to make an appointment,
I couldn't get in for three weeks. Then I drove
three weeks two hours away and they were closed. And
I'm just you know, throwing out a potential scenario, because
that's the type of scenario that wouldn't be a shocker
to hear. So it's been such a pain in the
in the ass, if you will. And yet you've got
(03:52):
undocumented illegal immigrants that are showing up and paying employees
a couple hundred bucks. Thre hundred bucks can enter the
table and they don't even have to take a driver's
test like that. The optics here are terrible, and it's
not it's probably more common than people realize that people
that work for the state they commit unethical acts. Sometimes
they do things that are illegal and they're held accountable,
(04:14):
so you know, it does happen. But for this to
be a multi year thing if those allegations are true,
while the state is already dealing with a real nightmare
as far as the driver's license situation as a whole, Yeah,
not great, not great to say the least. All Right, tomorrow,
the Kentucky State Fair is underway, and I'm so excited.
I can't I've never been able to really put into
(04:36):
words why I love the State Fair so much, but
I do, and I'm excited. We'll talk about that in
a lot more. We've got an update of traving the
weather coming your way right here right now on news
Radio eight forty whas. It is eight eighteen here at
Kentucky and this morning news coffee and company with you.
I'm n a coffee and this is News Radio eight
forty whas. So the State Fair gets underway tomorrow. I
(04:59):
know the vendors and a lot of folks have been here.
I guess the cup probably probably so far this week
there's been many people getting prepped, as you know, once
they once they get to Thursday, they got to have
everything ready. And I'm sure there's way more that goes
into that than, uh than we would ever know, unless,
of course you've been a part of that process. But John,
you and I have talked about it before, whenever you
and I were working together on on the sports side.
(05:21):
I I can't quite put into words why I love
the Fair as much as I do. I mean, it's
it's I mean, it's a fair, it's a it's a
good time. Right, You've got rides, you've got fair food,
You've got you know, concerts, booze, people watching. I mean
those are things that I think come to mind for people.
But I have a weird love for the fair to
where like I think I would spend every day, every
(05:43):
second of the fair during its ten day window, and
uh that that's not normal, That's that's weird.
Speaker 2 (05:49):
Usually would always say, and you already mentioned people watch
about you say it's the best people watching event in
the state.
Speaker 1 (05:54):
Probably there's no contender. I mean, it's the case, it's
it's the Kaitlin Clark of people watching, right, she's on
her own. We'll never see any competition as far as
moving the needle when it comes to w NBA interest.
That is what the Kentucky State Fair is compared to
other people watching events, and I just I can't get
(06:15):
enough of it. But that's not the only thing. Like
I'm I'm a nerd for the booths that each county
has set up that just gives you a you can
go booth the booth and learn about And we got
a lot of counties, by the way in Kentucky, and
each of them are there to show off what what
what makes them special. And that's not probably something that
many would be interested in, but it interests me. And yeah,
(06:36):
there's just a lot and this The food's great too,
And I'm not even talking about like the the Hamburger
that that they use a donut for a bum that's
just not I mean, I know it's popular, clearly, it's
been around a long time. It's just not really my thing.
I usually just go with a Kentucky prout pork sandwich
something something like that. But yeah, I love the fair
and I'm excited that it is. Uh, it is getting
started on Thursday. My wife's going out of town this weekend.
(06:57):
I may just tell the kids we're living at the fairgrounds.
Just get prepared. Actually, that sounds like a nightmare. Taking
my two children by myself the Fair. I might do
it because I just love. That'll be the real test
as far as how much I love the fair. Taking
my kids by myself on a weekend. First concert, by
the way, is tomorrow, Saw Your Brown? Are you going
to any of them? I may? We could talk about it,
(07:19):
and I may, And I'm considering Saw Your Brown. My
wife's going to a concert this week and leaving me
alone with the kids. Poor me, right, So maybe I'll say, look, honey,
I'm I'm going by myself, me and everybody else, my
people that appreciate nineties country and Saw your Brown. We
ain't first class, but we ain't white trash, right, probably
more so the latter, But that's okay. Saw your Brown's great. Yeah,
(07:42):
the Roots and Boots is the seventeenth. That's all. Sammy
Kershaw hereon Tiff and come on now, that's I'm May
the Coffee Special, Right. I can't not be there, right,
I gotta be there. I gotta find a way, all right,
Hopefully you'll stick with us. We've got a trapping and
weather update coming your way. Also, we'll get an update
on Sports Royal and he'll set to join us at
a thirty right here on there's Radio eight forty whs.
(08:04):
It's our final segment here this morning. But don't worry,
We've got Tony and Dwight coming your way here in
just a few minutes.
Speaker 3 (08:10):
Are you paint? Are you playing Kiss? This is for you,
mister Vanetti. I know your Kiss's biggest fan. No, I was.
I was part of the Kiss army and then I yeah,
I so got it. Okay, I turned eighteen.
Speaker 1 (08:20):
Well so am I? Maybe this is deja vu? I
remember you being big, a big Kiss guy. Did you
like turn your back on him and like become anti kids?
Speaker 3 (08:29):
I have done it just to piss off Dwight?
Speaker 1 (08:31):
Okay, gotcha?
Speaker 3 (08:32):
There was something there, right, Yeah, but again I'm indifferent
about Kiss. But again it's also the thing that you
realize when you're a little kid that you had so
much love for him, and but when you actually listen
to music, you're like, Okay, it's not very good.
Speaker 1 (08:47):
Yeah, has there been a band or I.
Speaker 3 (08:50):
Mean, what's the theme for their music? Lick it up?
Speaker 2 (08:54):
Very love?
Speaker 3 (08:54):
Gun is another one.
Speaker 1 (08:56):
You're just like, it's harmless. It's harmless, yes, and.
Speaker 3 (08:59):
They're spinning book the show with them too. Oh, it's
all about the blood and the and the fire and
all that, and again all the Kiss army people that
are our age hate me now, and that's fine.
Speaker 1 (09:10):
You maybe the bad the wrong person asked because you
were somebody who literally controlled what people could listen to,
because you were playing records whenever you couldn't. You had
to go wait and line to buy an album or
a CD. You couldn't just fire out the internet. So
I remember the reason I really love nineties country is
and I do enjoy it, but it's a nostalgia thing
because it was on when I was a kid NonStop,
(09:32):
but then I didn't hear it forever because it wasn't
on the radio anymore. Yeah, and the internet didn't have
music yet when I was going to Linwire and Napster,
I wasn't looking for that. And then the internet made
it to where like now there's playlists for that on Spotify, YouTube,
whatever it may be. And like, the nostalgia hit me
and it's still got control of me.
Speaker 3 (09:49):
Now.
Speaker 1 (09:50):
Was there any music that when the digital world hit
that you were exposed to more than you had in
a long time, that you you know, because I feel
like Kiss would have been there, But they're so big
that they.
Speaker 3 (09:58):
Happens all the time. I was listening to you on
the way in and John came in with Night Moves,
So I just said, I just I just told.
Speaker 1 (10:06):
My car, you know I love Bob.
Speaker 3 (10:07):
I just told my car. I was like, play Bob
Seeger's Night Moves and I rode in, Sorry, it tunes
you out, And I listened to Night Moves a very.
Speaker 1 (10:14):
Indirect way of saying, yeah, hell with this. I've just
been easily reminded there's a better option than it's Bob Seeger.
Speaker 3 (10:21):
But it happens all the time. My son said that,
he said, I know people will never be happy ever,
And I'll say, why do you say that? He goes,
because if you told people that you have something in
your pocket to play any song ever, twenty thirty years ago,
they would say that would make me happy forever, and
no one's still happy.
Speaker 1 (10:37):
Our access to really anything on our devices is is
what we're used to now, and clearly it's just our
way of life, especially in America, but it is. It
has absolutely changed our level of appreciation for everything because
we constantly have access to what we don't have, and
(10:58):
that's even music as well. If you knew that you
didn't get to hear a song until Tony Benetti played
it on QMF. Yeah, there was there was an element
to the to the experience, if that makes sense. I
know you sound like a nerd, but I love that.
I love that part of my job at the time,
and it was it was the thing people would would
would you know you you were you were enhancing the
vibes with what you played, and there was you know,
I mean, it is crazy to think sort of what
(11:20):
that has shifted into to what it was during that time,
because I mean I remember as a kid and it
was a long time ago, believe it or not. Where
I mean, like, if I want to hear a song,
I was making sure when they do they each station
would do like the top Bob or whatever. At now
you'd listen to it because it was that was when
you hear the hits and we couldn't go to YouTube
at the time.
Speaker 2 (11:36):
Take it back to the time when when Tony and
I were kids and sitting there waiting with a on
our with our fingers on play record on a cassette
deck on our stereo for the song to play and
push it try to get as much of the song
as we could after the DJ stop talking to get
our songs and make our own mixtapes. That way for
what we could listen to on our walk back.
Speaker 1 (11:55):
And that's and that's a lot of work, but man,
it actually sounds fun now because of just the you know,
you were accomplishing something.
Speaker 3 (12:02):
And I will take it one step further. If you
listen to that song night Moves, it takes you back
to the summers when John and I and Dwight were
growing up, when there was no internet, there was no
TV really, and you had boring, fun summers where you
were just summer nights with some girl under the stars,
and as you did was talk. You talked, and there
(12:23):
was nothing else to do. Well, you talked and did
other stuff.
Speaker 1 (12:26):
I played this for you and then you left me,
went to the backfired on me, didn't I?
Speaker 3 (12:31):
You lost to John got you to tune me out.
Speaker 2 (12:33):
For night Now. There's an interesting thing about this video.
One of the members of the cast of Friends is
in this.
Speaker 1 (12:41):
Which one who is it the I didn't watch Friends?
I think I think I'm the only person on the
plan that didn't watch Friends. It's gotta be is it, Joey.
Speaker 3 (12:49):
Let's say we got one minute, Let's shut up and
let everybody listen to Night Moves. Use radio forty WHA
get see here?
Speaker 1 (12:55):
Can wait? I have thirty seconds left